When data is transmitted through a network, the data often has to travel through switches. For example, a data center may have several nodes coupled to each other through one or more switches. The nodes may be servers. Data at a first node may need to be transmitted to a second node via the switches.
Traditionally, electronic switches have been used to perform the switching. However, optical switching systems are now replacing electronic switches in some applications. An optical switching system uses optical signals to carry data between nodes. For example, data at a first node may be converted from the electrical domain into an optical signal, and then the optical signal may be transmitted through the optical switching system to the second node. At the second node, the optical signal may then be converted back to data in the electrical domain.
As network traffic grows and more data needs to be transmitted through a network, it is desired to use optical switching systems that allow for switching between a large number of nodes.